Vector BC eludes my thinking

[lowangle al]

I think the speed of a ski has a lot to do with surface area. A lot of times a fat ski will be faster either in powder or hardpack.

[Woodserson]

Thanks dudes, nice replies.

Connyro, if the Vector had a kicker skin system, would you stick with just one pair and dump the BC's? Or keep them both? I certainly appreciate having a ski that grips well in corn, but when it gets super cold there is nothing as frustrating, especially with those generic euro-scales. (At least in my limited experience). Woof woof and all that. As much as I would love having a wax/scale version of all my skis, it's not super budgetable.

[lowangle al]

Woods my feeling is that if kickwax or scales aren't cutting it for the climb than I would go with a full skin. The only time I use skins is for long sustained steep climbs.

As far as cold snow, I've had the BCs out in temps down into the teens with no glide problems. In super cold like 20 or 30 below F nothing glides. At any rate i would rather be on scales than half skins in the super cold.

If you are thinking of this ski for that 3 mile in and out tour to get to the powder I don't think you would be dissapointed in the glide of the BCs. If you are familiar with kick wax and use it in your area I would get the smoothed based ski.

[connyro]

I agree with LLA. The scales work real well in most any condition and allow for great climbing. Personally, I would not use a kicker skin for the Vector BCs because the scales work about as well. Plus, I dislike fiddling with skins a lot so I only bust them out when absolutely necessary. I second LLA when he says " If you are familiar with kick wax and use it in your area I would get the smoothed based ski." ...but I would add you may want to think about getting skins for climbing up the steeps because the Vectors are really fun for charging down steep narrow lines in the BC. I find the Vector BCs to be very fun, useful, and versatile - more so than I thought I would!

[bgregoire]

I agree with LLA. The scales work real well in most any condition and allow for great climbing. Personally, I would not use a kicker skin for the Vector BCs because the scales work about as well. Plus, I dislike fiddling with skins a lot so I only bust them out when absolutely necessary. I second LLA when he says " If you are familiar with kick wax and use it in your area I would get the smoothed based ski." ...but I would add you may want to think about getting skins for climbing up the steeps because the Vectors are really fun for charging down steep narrow lines in the BC. I find the Vector BCs to be very fun, useful, and versatile - more so than I thought I would!

My understanding is that the scales work so well (even in cold snow) on the Vectors given their width (or area) and subtle camber. As such, they are somewhat in another category then say the guide/annum or anything smaller with regards to their climbing ability.

[connyro]

Agreed bgregoire. The only ski that I've seen that keeps up on the climb with Vector BCs/V6BCs/ChrargerBCs is the Alpina X-Terrains. Guides/Annums, Rossi BC125s etc climb less well.

[MikeK]

[video][/video]

You can tell from the pics too, but the scales on the Vector are an 'insert'. I wonder if they are a different material?

I'm getting highly suspicious about this because S Bound scales, which are also insert, seem to work far better than Madshus scales.

[bgregoire]

I'm getting highly suspicious about this because S Bound scales, which are also insert, seem to work far better than Madshus scales.

Good point, they might be positive scales as well. But still I would assume, better climbers than even the S-Bound 125.

[connyro]

The scales are positive. They are an insert made from extruded plastic while the rest of the base material is sintered ptex. I read they get the scales insert from a source that makes them for other brands besides Voile.

[MikeK]

They probably are better than the S Bounds. But even S Bound 98 is far better than the Annum, IME.

I would think that's what S Bounds are too... Sintered glide sections with Extruded scales, but I'm not sure.

In which case, it ain't the material (well maybe some specialty in the processing), because the Mads are all Extruded.